


How To Start A Revolution: A Guide By Harriet Potter

by EmrysTheMerlin



Series: Seeking [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blaise Zabini is a Good Friend, Dolores Umbridge Bashing, Draco Malfoy & Pansy Parkinson Friendship, F/F, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Gen, Good Slytherins, Harriet Potter - Freeform, Harry Potter Has a Pet Snake, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Hogwarts Sixth Year, M/M, Minor Dumbledore bashing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slytherin Trio, Soulmarks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25659430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmrysTheMerlin/pseuds/EmrysTheMerlin
Summary: After the disastrous events of Harriet's fourth year she is back at Hogwarts. But with Voldemort back tensions are on the rise, it doesn't help that she's having visions and constantly worrying about the newest member of the Order, her Soulmate Viktor Krum. With the Ministry interfering at Hogwarts Harriet gets a hand from a corner of the school she'd never expect. Perhaps all four houses together can take down the dictatorship Umbridge has created, even if they have to work under the radar to do it.
Relationships: Blaise Zabini & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Pansy Parkinson & Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley, Pansy Parkingson & Harry Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Viktor Krum/Harry Potter
Series: Seeking [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860055
Comments: 38
Kudos: 282





	1. Summer Sucks

Olivia Tanner loved her job at the public library in Little Whinging. She really did, she’d been working here for a while now and they were finally upgrading from the books on tape to CDs much to the disappointment of one young teen who had been coming in daily since summer began. She was tiny in baggy clothes that were clearly several sizes too big for her and old beat up glasses. If she hadn’t been so clean Olivia would have assumed she was homeless. A lot of homeless teens came into the library to use their public restrooms and spend a few hours out of the record heat that was gripping Surrey. This girl though had something interesting about her, a lightning shaped scar running across her forehead. She also never checked anything out, instead choosing to spend most of the day reading the newspapers and using one of their portable cassette players to go through their collection of Language instructional books, well one in particular.

Her Bulgarian was getting really good, even if her accent was just a little off. But unfortunately those books would be leaving the shelves soon so Olivia had a word with the head librarian. He had apparently seen the scared teen a few times himself and commended Olivia on her idea allowing her to remove the Learning Bulgarian books on tape a little early along with a set of headphones and a cassette recorder. She picked the one in the best shape and waited for the girl to return. She was not disappointed, the girl approached the counter the next morning shortly after the Library opened.

“Um hello. Have the Learning Bulgarian books on tape been checked out?” She was quite polite. Olivia smiled at her.

“No my dear. We’re removing books on tape from the library, upgrading to CDs.” The girl’s expression fell. Olivia pulled the bag she’d prepped out from under the counter. “But since you’re in here so often I talked with my boss, and he said I could give you these. Nobody else really uses them anyway. Not a popular language Bulgarian. Can I ask why you want to learn it?” The teen shrugged, going a bit pink in the cheeks.

“Well it’s a long story.” Olivia nodded and pushed the bag across the counter a little further.

“You’re still welcome to use them here if you want but those are yours now.” The girl grinned taking the bag.

“Thank you! That’s really nice.” Olivia shrugged.

“Like I said, we’re upgrading anyway and you’re pretty much the only one who uses those books. Oh and we just got today’s newspaper in on the usual rack if you’re interested.” The girl ran a hand through long wild black hair.

“Am I that predictable?” Olivia shrugged.

“Having a routine is nothing to be ashamed of dear. It’s good structure. Anyway, I’ve got some organizing to do. I’ll leave you to it.” The teen nodded thanking her again before disappearing to her usual table in the back of the library with today’s newspaper. The librarian got quite a fright when a loud crack echoed from just outside the library. The girl appeared around a bookshelf looking shaken. Olivia frowned.

“You alright dear?” The girl nodded slightly.

“Yeah.” Olivia nodded slightly.

“Not a fan of loud noises? I understand, first time I’ve heard a car backfiring that loudly though. We’ll be closing up soon.” The girl shouldered her usual bag and nodded slipping the cassette player into her bag.

“Thank you for this again.” Olivia smiled at the girl and nodded.

“See you tomorrow dear!” The girl smiled slightly as she left. But she did not return the next day, or the day after. Olivia grew more worried as the summer stretched on. But no one came in asking about the girl. Come to think of it even if they had, Olivia had never asked the girl’s name.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the past four weeks the only good thing that had happened to Harriet Potter was the kind librarian giving Harriet the books on tape for learning Bulgarian. She had taken it upon herself to learn her soulmate’s first language and Viktor was working on his English as well. He was getting better at least at written English. But of course her one good day had been offset by the dementor attack. She was now set to go to trial about it and to decide if she was expelled from Hogwarts or not. Viktor had promised he’d see her soon but not specified when. So here she sat, locked in her room the headphones she’d been given by the librarian on her ears, reciting Bulgarian verbs, tracing the golden snitch on her arm absently.

It was her soul mark, the mark that provided her with a clue as to what she and her soulmate had in common. Though Muggles didn’t have soul marks many witches and wizards did and used them to find their perfect fated match, the witch or wizard with the matching mark. Last year Harriet had found hers in the Bulgarian Seeker Viktor Krum, her fellow Triwizard Champion. She was pretty sure that was the only good thing that came out of that year. Fleur had sent her a letter as well but Viktor’s had been quite often. Aside from that she’d gotten a few letters from Ron and Hermione, all saying that they couldn’t say much. But she’d gotten an interesting letter from her schoolmate, Blaise Zabini. The boy was a Slytherin and had only spoken to Harriet twice, both about his pet snake Marin, who ended up having three babies last year, one of which Harriet now owned. Amy was curled up on Harriet’s stomach sleeping.

Blaise had been frank in his letter. He and his mother, who despite both being Slytherins, had never supported Voldemort, believed her and Dumbledore where the Prophet and ministry did not. It was sort of comforting for someone she barely knew to be on her side, according to him he wasn’t the only Slytherin who thought that way. A crash sounded from downstairs and Harriet paused her lesson gently picking Amy up. The snake had grown over the past few months, it was nearly the length of her forearm now instead of small enough to wrap around her wrist. She raised a diamond shaped head and flicked her tongue out before hissing again.

‘ ** _Intruders! Smells like wizards.’_** Harriet pulled her wand out of her pocket and took a deep breath. She’d been expecting an attack when the dementor’s failed but Dumbledore had always insisted she was safe at the Dursley’s even if safe was sort of relative when one considered the abuse she endured at their hands. Amy slithered down her left arm and flicked her tongue at the keyhole of her door. The snake tilted her head to the side. ‘ ** _Smells like Danger Teacher.’_** Harriet frowned, that was how Amy referred to Moody, since Moody had been both a danger to Harriet and a teacher. It was a recent nickname.

‘ ** _Moody, here?’_** Harriet hissed back, though it became a moot point quickly when the lock on her door clicked and door swung open. ‘ ** _Wait, don’t attack unless I say.’_** Amy bobbed her head in acknowledgement as Harriet stepped out onto the landing to find half a dozen witches and wizards in the hallway. Professor Moody was there, though as he said, he wasn’t much of a professor, since he himself never got any teaching done. But Remus Lupin’s presence called Harriet. She was finally being taken out of Privet Drive. She grinned at the Auror Tonks who helped her pack. The pink haired woman was a bit warry of Amy at first but Amy seemed to like her well enough.

“She’s harmless.” Harriet assured as the snake curled up in the inside pocket of her jacket so they could fly off out of Little Whinging. She was just happy to be leaving.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sirius grinned as he managed to force the curtain shut over his mother’s portrait. Harriet leapt into his arms and he hugged her close blinking slightly as a red snake peeked out from under her jacket. She didn’t even seem to notice though. She was understandably upset at being left out. Molly tried to insist that she be left out entirely, that she was a child. Sirius knew that wasn’t the only reason Molly was leaving her out. Dumbledore had warned that there was a possible connection between Harriet and Voldemort because of what had happened in the graveyard. The headmaster was apparently looking into it but Sirius wasn’t so sure. He knew Dumbledore knew Harriet was being abused at the Dursleys. Remus had told him. And maybe he had become cynical over twelve years in Azkaban, he was aware that was a possibility but it seemed like Dumbledore knew something he wasn’t willing to share.

He wasn’t sure if Harriet knew that her soulmate, Viktor Krum was acting as something of an international go between for the Order, attempting to recruit foreign wizards to their cause. It could be said that he’d had more success than Charley Weasley who was still in Romania. But Sirius would let Viktor tell Harriet about that. He sighed as he and Remus cuddled on his bed after the party celebrating Harriet being cleared of all charges and Ron and Hermione making Prefect. Remus kissed him on the top of the head.

“Are you alright Pads?” Sirius looked up at his soulmate, kind eyes too old for the face they were set in looked back with understanding in their depths.

“It’s hard to let her go. Hard to have her out of my sight now that he’s back. It feels like nowhere is safe anymore. Not even Hogwarts.” Remus pulled Sirius close.

“I know.” Sirius burrowed into his soulmate’s chest and stayed there. It was wonderful after years without human contact that Remus even still wanted him. One day he was going to put a ring on that man’s finger. He promised himself he would no matter what as he fell asleep in the werewolf’s arms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Viktor arrived one week before they were set to leave for Hogwarts and Harriet was over the moon to see him again, though Sirius liked to joke that he wasn’t going to leave them alone in a room for the sake of propriety. They talked, switching between his slightly broken English and her slightly broken Bulgarian. He was beyond happy that she had gone to the effort of finding a way to learn the language without him and was more than happy to help with her shaky pronunciations. The twins had taken it on themselves to teach him swear words in English and he found them quite amusing so he returned the favor. She had never been more upset to board the Hogwarts Express that year as she had to leave Viktor at Platform nine and three quarters. She joined Ginny, Neville and Luna in their compartment and was surprised when Blaise popped by, not to antagonize but to see how Amy her pet snake was doing. He brought Pansy along too. Which was awkward, doubly so when she quietly apologized for the way she usually snarked at the Gryffindors, after a nudge from Blaise.

Harriet wasn’t quite sure what would come of that but she was honestly glad that at least the two of them weren’t staring at her like she was some kind of freak. She got enough of that with the Dursleys thank you very much. She was not looking forward to getting that look all year at Hogwarts too.


	2. A Simple Kindness

Draco Malfoy was not having a good year all told. It started that summer when his mother had not let him come home, but instead sent him to Foster with Blaise and his mother. It was a very old Pureblood tradition that was hardly put into place these days. Generally it was used to help the recipients of arranged marriages get used to each other. But he and Blaise were not engaged, his father had wanted him to enter into an arrangement with another pureblood family but his mother had forbid it, wanting Draco to find his soulmate. That meant finding someone else interested in the healing arts. The caduceus had appeared on his thigh when he was seven and he’d been obsessed with healing ever since. It was a very traditional symbol of healing, leading back to the ancient Greeks. But he thought he knew why his mother had sent him away. If he had returned home, if Potter was telling the truth, then he would never have been allowed to pursue his dreams he would be recruited as his father had been.

Then there was life at Hogwarts, nothing like it had been. Tension was nearly palpable all the time, circling around Harriet Potter like a whirlpool. The Pink Toad, the nickname the Slytherins had quickly adopted for Umbridge, was awful. A bad teacher and worse disciplinarian. Her ridiculous decrees were growing worse all the time and Draco was starting to feel sick about all of it. He’d seen one Slytherin first year sobbing over words sliced into the back of her hand. ‘Good girls stay quiet.’ He’d helped her soothe the injury and vowed in that moment to find a way to take down Umbridge. But he wasn’t sure how to go about it. He wasn’t alone in this sentiment either. Blaise and Pansy were furious with the goings on at Hogwarts and the fact that the Headmaster seemed to have no control over Umbridge.

A whimper caught his attention from a side hall and he paused, Blaise and Pansy pausing with him. He peered down the hall and frowned, there was nothing there. He was about to turn around when he spotted something quite out of place. A foot in a worn trainer, seemingly attached to nothing. He frowned and stepped down the hall as Pansy raised an eyebrow at him. A soft hiss pulled his attention away from the foot. Looking up he spotted a ruby red snake coiled around the neckpiece of a suit of armor that rested in this alcove. Blaise frowned.

“That’s Potter’s snake, Amy.” Draco leaned closer to the seemingly ownerless foot and reached forward. His hand met something solid, he’d guess a shoulder. He gathered the fabric in his hand and pulled. The invisibility cloak came off easily. And it wasn’t a wonder that it did. She was barely conscious underneath. It was then that he spotted the small puddle of blood on the floor. It wasn’t large enough to be a real worry but the small trail of blood that lead to the plinth she had seemingly passed out on was a problem, or rather spoke of a larger one. He took her unresisting hand, which as he’d expected had words carved into the back in Potter’s own untidy scrawl. ‘I must not tell lies.’ Bile rose in his throat.

“Umbridge and her fucking Blood Quill.” Draco pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wrapped it around the still bleeding hand. Potter’s face was ashen, he could only guess she’d been at this for some time. The longer a Blood Quill was used the more blood it drained onto the page and the harder it became for the wound itself to heal. Their use had been banned by the Ministry ages back, but apparently rules didn’t apply to Umbridge. Draco frowned as he tied the handkerchief. He had a choice to make now, he could leave her here, knowing that staunching the flow of blood might be enough to get her to come around soon, or he could go for help. He frowned. Then he remembered Blaise and Pansy, both were standing behind him looking aghast.

“Don’t just stand there, go get Snape.” Draco thought better of it after a second and grabbed Pansy’s sleeve. “On second thought go to Pomphrey, tell her you need a blood replenisher, she’s good at not asking too many questions. Tell her it’s an emergency.” Pansy nodded and took off down the hall. Blaise nodded, pointing his wand at the trail of blood Potter had left behind.

“Scourgify.” The blood trail vanished. “We should move her, if the toad comes she’ll be pissed. There’s an empty classroom just here.” Draco nodded and moved to pick her up, expecting to need Blaise’s help but he didn’t she was almost worryingly light.

“Merlin, she’s light what do those muggles feed her?”

“They tend not to really.” The voice was hoarse and shaky. He almost dropped her but managed to keep his hold as Blaise opened the door and they slipped inside. Blaise stood watch just outside waiting for Pansy to return. Draco set her down in one of the chairs that lined the room and frowned. She was looking at him curiously, though her eyes were slightly out of focus which was concerning.

“How long did she have you use that blasted Blood Quill?” Draco demanded. Harriet blinked at him, sluggishly.

“Four hours.” Draco swore. It was like this woman was actively trying to kill Potter, which given their previous Defense Against The Dark Arts teachers wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. But this was a ministry official basically attempting murder within the walls of Hogwarts. The door opened and Pansy slipped inside holding a small red vial.

“You’re so lucky Pomphrey doesn’t ask questions Potter.” She snarked as she handed Draco the vial. Harriet frowned.

“Why are you helping me?” Draco uncorked the vial.

“Because you’re not the only one who hates Umbridge. And you’re not the only one she’s done this to. But I’ll admit I don’t think she’s done this to anyone else this long. Drink this.” Harriet frowned a bit mistrusting. Draco rolled his eyes. “If I was going to kill you it certainly wouldn’t be with poison Potter. It’ll make you feel better.” She sniffed the vial and narrowed her eyes for a moment, clearly not trusting them. Blaise had entered with Pansy.

“Potter, I wouldn’t let him kill you, who would talk to Marin for me when she’s angry.” Harriet snorted and finally took the vial downing the contents in one go. She pulled a face but kept the potion down which was good. Her color began to come back rather quickly and a hiss distracted all of them. Amy came slithering into the room and up Harriet’s leg. She grinned at the snake, holding a hand for her to climb up.

“Is that so?” She laughed as the snake nodded. “Went out of your way to help me huh?” Draco rolled his eyes at her.

“Couldn’t leave you passed out on the floor Potter, someone would have tripped.” Harriet looked around slight panic in her eyes but it faded when Blaise held out her invisibility cloak. She took it back nodding to him.

“Thanks. But why did you help, you hate me?” Draco shrugged.

“Wouldn’t be a very good healer if I left someone bleeding on the floor. Even if it is you.” Harriet frowned as Amy slithered up her arm to curl gently and loosely around her neck.

“You wanna be a healer?” Draco nodded.

“Not that it’s any of your business.” Harriet frowned, there was a bit of pink in her cheeks now that they weren’t ashy grey from blood loss, a very good sign.

“It was just a question Malfoy.” Harriet’s tone had gone steely. Blaise rolled his eyes.

“You two are ridiculous. For once we should be on the same side, and you two are bickering like children.” Harriet and Draco blinked at Blaise. Pansy nodded.

“Hate to say it but Blaise is right. I’m actually kinda glad we ran into you, though I would have preferred less bloodshed.” Pansy said checking her nails, before glancing out the cracked door. Harriet raised an eyebrow looking over the three Slytherins.

“What are you talking about?” Pansy scoffed.

“Oh please, like the Gryffindor Princess, She Who Must Always Be The Hero, hasn’t come up with a plan against Umbridge.” Harriet stiffened going defensive. Pansy continued. “We want in.” Harriet blinked.

“What?” Blaise rolled his eyes.

“We hate Umbridge, you hate Umbridge. We want her out, gone, finite. You’re surprisingly good at getting rid of Defense teachers.” Pansy said tapping her wand to her nails, changing the color a few times until it seemed to satisfy her.

“That and we’d very much like to pass our Defense OWL and that doesn’t look to be happening under her so. We want in.” Blaise said and Draco nodded slightly reluctantly. His friends had an excellent point even if they hadn’t told him about this little plot beforehand. Harriet stood brushing off her skirt.

“That’s a damn shame, because there’s nothing going on.” She headed to the door as the Slytherins scowled at her back. She paused. “But if you were to find yourselves in the Shrieking Shack this weekend, at around noonish. Well maybe we could see about helping to pass the practical part of your OWLs.” Blaise chuckled.

“Aren’t you banned from Hogsmeade?” Draco asked frowning.

“Who said I was going to Hogsmeade? I said you might find something at the Shrieking Shack. I didn’t say shit about Hogsmeade.” She left quickly, leaving the three Slytherins nodding to each other.

“Well if she’s offering, I’m taking her up on it.” Blaise said checking that the room was empty. Pansy was grinning after Harriet.

“She’d have made an excellent Slytherin.” Pansy commented as they began to head back to their dorms. Draco laughed.

“Careful Pans you’ll give me nightmares.” Once they were safely ensconced in the common room though he frowned leaning in to whisper to his friends. “What if it’s a trap?” Blaise shook his head.

“I don’t think she would. More of a Slytherin move, too much so for a little lion. Besides she didn’t rat me out for having Marin and snakes were mysteriously added to the approved pet list.” He said smiling as he ran a finger over the scales of his serpent. Draco nodded.

That was how the weekend lessons began. They met up in the Shrieking Shack, just the four of them and Potter taught them hexes, curses and defensive spells they certainly wouldn’t have learned from Umbridge. Her little posy made an occasional appearance, Hermione more than the others, and Ron only once. Luna was entertaining though, and Draco’s cousin distantly so he preferred it when she showed up to guard the Gryffindor Princess. For some reason her friends didn’t seem to think she was safe with three Slytherins. Umbridge formed the Inquisitorial Squad and Pansy’s father was insisting she join up. She brought this up at their next weekend meeting as they took a break from spellcasting. It would be their last meeting before the Holidays. Blaise had splurged on what looked like half of Honeydukes along with a pack of butterbeer. Harriet had been overjoyed at the amount of chocolate frogs, apparently she collected the cards. She chewed her chocolate for a moment.

“Maybe you should join.” They blinked at her.

“Have we made it quite clear that we absolutely abhor that woman?” Draco asked slightly sarcastically. Harriet nodded chewing on another bite of the frog.

“Hear me out though, what better way to find out what she’s doing? Eyes on the inside.” Blaise blinked at her, a licorice wand hanging out of his mouth. Pansy grinned waving a sugar quill at her.

“You would have an excellent Slytherin.” Harriet laughed.

“Believe it or not the hat thought so too.” She froze as though she had just revealed a deep dark secret. The three Slytherins blinked at her.

“You almost got put in Slytherin?” Blaise said dropping his licorice wand. Harriet swore under her breath.

“I shouldn’t have told you that.” Pansy laughed.

“No you shouldn’t have! Cause now we’re never gonna let you live it down.” Harriet laughed flipping Pansy off as she chucked an empty wrapper at the Slytherin girl. Draco snorted.

“You know if someone told me this was going to be how I spent my last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas I would have laughed at them.” Harriet nodded.

“I’d probably have hexed them.” Blaise laughed raising his butterbeer in a toast.

“To the most unlikely of friendships.” Harriet nodded raising her own with the other two in the room. They clinked their bottles together. Harriet vanished under her invisibility cloak leaving the house by her own means. They had never asked how it was that she managed to get in and out of Hogwarts to the Shack. A few days later they heard that Harriet and the Weasleys had been whisked off in the middle of the night. Pansy overheard Parvati telling Lavender that Harriet had some kind of vision in the middle of the night. The two Gryffindors seemed to think it was wildly unfair that Harriet seemed to have gained a random affinity for Divination. The three Slytherins agreed to join up with the Inquisitorial Squad and spy on Umbridge from the inside.


	3. Departmental

Viktor had been delighted when he’d found out that he had time off to visit Harriet for Christmas. He had arrived at Grimmauld Place early to surprise her when she arrived, but it was not the happy event he’d been hoping for. The message about Arthur Weasley came in moments before the portkey brought all the Weasley children that had been at Hogwarts and Harriet to the dingy old house. The moment they landed Harriet staggered and Viktor caught her. She was sweaty and shaking. She looked distinctly green as though she was about to be sick. Somehow she managed to recount what she had seen in the dream. It wasn’t pleasant, a great snake attacking Arthur Weasley, while Harriet watched, helpless to do anything. It wasn’t exactly the most chipper of Christmas holidays, even though Mr. Weasley would be alright.

Viktor was glad Sirius was here though, the combined presence of himself and her godfather seemed to cheer Harriet greatly after her harrowing vision. He would have to talk to his mother about the visions, with Harriet’s permission of course. His mother was friends with several old seers around Bulgaria. Their methods of Divination were quite different to the kinds Harriet learned about in her class. But they had yet to be wrong.

He had gotten her a few advanced spell books on defense, she had told him all about the less than stellar defense teacher and he knew her well enough to know she would be doing something about it. He fussed over the new scar on the back of her hand. ‘I must not tell lies.’ Forced upon her for telling the truth of how Cedric had died, how she herself had almost died. He didn’t want to send her back and suggested she return to Bulgaria with him instead, away from this madness. For a moment she considered it too. But in the end she refused, she couldn’t leave her friends to deal with Umbridge alone. She had gotten him an assortment of English sweets he’d found himself quite fond of during the tournament and her favorite muggle book, in English.

“This will be a bit of a challenge, a lot of made up words in this one.” Alice in Wonderland. She was right it was a bit of a challenge but he wanted to be able to connect with one part of her childhood that she was not ashamed of or afraid to share. Apparently she had a copy of this book back with the Dursleys, she’d been hiding it under a loose floorboard for years, up until they moved her out of her cupboard. Every time she mentioned that his gentle grasp on her tightened slightly, desperate to protect her from the abuse she had gone though for so long. When she went back to school it was with reassurances that he would see her as soon as possible and one long kiss goodbye. Sirius smiled at him and offered him a cup of coffee, but he had a portkey to catch. His parents were worried about Harriet too and his mother put him in contact with the most reliable of her friends.

Their methods were a bit unorthodox. It involved a vision inducing potion that Viktor was a little reluctant to take. But it had never failed before, had even helped his mother find his father. So take it he did.

At first all he saw was blackness, there were vague shapes. He couldn’t quite make out what they were. Only that there were five of them swirling though the blackness. One left behind a smear of something that looked disturbingly like blood. In the center of this blackness a figure resolved from the darkness, Harriet, dressed in black robes not dissimilar to her school uniform. But there was no splash of Gryffindor gold or red here, only the same blackness that surrounded her. Something was wrapped around her. A snake at least twice as long as she was tall and thick as his own arm. Its head rested atop Harriet’s where it gently flicked a tongue over Harriet’s scar. But the most disturbing thing about this scene was that Harriet’s eyes were open and they were not bright green as they normally were. They were blood red. He jerked backward as the blackness swirled around Harriet again swallowing her whole, a pale spiderlike hand swirling the darkness like a cloak. A white snakelike face with bright red eyes smiled sinisterly. A high cold voice he’d never heard before echoed around him.

‘You cannot save her! She will die by my hand!’ Viktor awoke screaming. He could not get the vision out of his head. It drove him to do something rather drastic. He resigned from the Bulgarian Quidditch team and bought a small flat in Diagon Alley. He wouldn’t be there often, he was running missions, or rather distractions for the Order. He would make appearances to draw attention away from a place the Order needed to get into, he often stayed at Grimmauld Place but his worry for Harriet continued to mount. She could not freely contact him as she once had, even if they wrote in Bulgarian the mail was being searched and a letter to Harriet in another language would draw too much attention, would be quickly translated. He couldn’t lie that he was more worried about her now than he had ever been. When Snape’s message came through to Grimmauld place, that Harriet had a vision of the Department of Mysteries, of Sirius being tortured there by Voldemort, his worry mounted again. It nearly quadrupled when soon after another message came through that Harriet and a group of her friends had simply vanished from school grounds, likely heading for the ministry.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The term after Christmas was worse than the first half of the year and Harriet honestly was starting to think that the universe was just actively fucking her over for fun. The DA had been ratted out, though luckily none of them had been tossed out, it had wound them up with Umbridge as headmistress and Dumbledore on the run. Fred and George had fled campus, in style of course. Snapes Occlumency lessons were making her headaches and visions of the door in the department of mysteries worse not better and she collapsed in her final OWL test, watching Voldemort torture Sirius in the Department of Mysteries. She couldn’t just sit by and do nothing. Of course that wound up with her, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna captured in Umbridge’s office by several members of her precious Inquisitorial Squad. Unfortunately not Pansy, Blaise or Draco either, though they came running when the screaming began.

Harriet hadn’t been expecting Umbridge to actually use the Cruciartus curse on her. It was painful, the curse mingling with her still burning scar until she couldn’t hold the scream back, couldn’t see for a moment after. Hermione saved her, claiming a false weapon’s completion in the woods. Umbridge left the Inquisitorial Squad to watch Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna, disappearing into the woods with Harriet and Hermione.

Draco, Pansy and Blaise acted fast, stunning their fellow squad members. Ginny and Neville stared at them not quite understanding what was happening, but Luna and Ron vouched for them as they took off after Umbridge. Ginny and Neville were skeptical but Harriet was still shaking slightly from the combined pain of the Cruciartus and her scar and honestly they would need all the help they could get. Getting to London on Thestrals was an interesting experience. Most of them couldn’t see them after all. Finding out it had been a trap, a false vision planted in Harriet’s mind that made things infinitely worse.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Draco was shaking slightly, he knew one of the masks that faced them now, under dark Death Eater hoods. His father’s white blonde hair peeked out from under the hood and his aunt Bellatrix hadn’t bothered to try to hide her identity at all despite them being about as deep into the Ministry as one could be.

“Now, now Draco see reason. We hand Potter and the Prophecy over to the Dark Lord and we will be rewarded beyond all imaginings.” His father practically cooed reaching out a hand, the other teens around him stiffened but Draco’s resolve hardened. He knew that tone of voice. His father had used it on him often when manipulating him to live his life the way Lucius wanted him to. Draco had long ago learned that disobeying that tone often lead to pain. But he shook his head regardless.

“No father, you picked the wrong side. I’m not making your mistakes.” His aunt hissed.

“Traitor!” Her curse was defected at the last second by a shield Hermione cast. Draco could see his father’s eyes harden behind the mask he wore as his focus shifted off Draco.

“We will get that prophecy Potter. If you give it to us now we will leave your little friends alone.” Draco managed not to flinch as Pansy stepped on his foot.

“Smash the shelves on her cue.” He nodded lightly to the whispered order. When the shelves of glass orbs came crashing down the Death Eaters scattered and so did the teens. Splitting into two groups. Draco wound up following Harriet while Pansy and Blaise vanished with the Weasleys and Luna. The fight was pure and utter chaos, running through different rooms of the Department. Harriet saved them all in the end, distracting the Death Eaters with the lure of their goal. They chased her leaving the others behind, Neville scrambled after her and after a moment Draco followed. He sort of wished he’d stayed with the others as he and Neville were tortured to convince Harriet to give up the Prophecy. But just as she seemed about to hand it over to save their lives half a dozen wizards burst into the room. Two he didn’t recognize, a tall black wizard and a woman with bubblegum pink hair. Two of them were his old Defense against the Dark Arts teachers, Moody and Lupin. The last two were the strangest additions to this group, Sirius Black and Viktor Krum.

It turned out to be a very good thing that Krum had come along though for when the killing curse sailed towards Black the ex Seeker tackled him to the ground, the curse passing harmlessly into the veil as Bellatrix fled, Dumbledore battling several of her fellows. Harriet, ever the impulsive teenager raced after her in a fit of rage.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sirius was quick to brush off his near brush with death, in favor of bolting after his goddaughter, Viktor hot on his heels. Dumbledore came with them, having left the Death Eaters unconscious for the other Order members to deal with. They were too late to catch the same lift and when they reached the Lobby they were horrified at the sight they found. Voldemort himself stood there, looking down at Harriet his wand raised ready to strike. Dumbledore was quicker though. The statues sprang to life but Viktor and Sirius were blasted backwards forced to take cover out of the lobby or be crushed by debris. They were working on moving it out of the way, to lend some kind of assistance when the screaming started. It was an awful wail, coming from Harriet and it sounded as though she was dying. Sirius pushed Viktor behind him and loosed a blasting spell at the debris blocking their way that practically disintegrated the rocks.

The sight they found when the dust cleared was disturbing. A black vortex rested atop the jerking figure on the ground. The black hair splayed out around her gave away who it was for the voice spilling from between her lips was not hers. It was a high cold voice.

“If death is nothing kill the girl!” Sirius and Viktor raced forward, only to be stopped by an invisible shield. Sirius banged his fist against it.

“Harriet!” Viktor called out to her and the twitching figure on the ground looked over at them. A shock seemed to pass through her. Her back bowed off the ground as she screamed louder than before and a human shaped shadow burst from her skin, taking the vortex with it and tumbling to the floor near another figure, almost blocked by a metal statue from the destroyed fountain. Harriet went limp as Voldemort reformed from the shadow. Dumbledore raced to the downed girl and the fireplaces behind Voldemort lit up green disgorging none other than the Minister of Magic, followed quickly by most of the Auror department. Dumbledore dropped the shield blocking Sirius and Viktor from getting further into the room as Voldemort howled in anger, seized the arm of the witch under the statue and vanished. But neither Viktor nor Sirius cared, they were racing to Harriet who seemed to be coming around. She groaned and blinked.

“Sirius?” She croaked, tears in her eyes. “I thought she killed you.” Sirius shook his head.

“I’m ok. Your boy saved my life.” Viktor smiled as he gently took her hand. A voice intruded on the moment as Harriet shivered violently.

“Sirius Black put your hands in the air and drop your wand!” It was one of the Aurors, but before he could do anything else Dumbledore stepped between them.

“You will not touch that man.” Fudge spluttered. Dumbledore continued. “Sirius Black has never been, nor is he now, a Death Eater. If you proceed down to the Department of Mysteries you will find just under a dozen incapacitated Death Eaters, guarded by members of the Order of the Phoenix along with several Hogwarts Students in need of medical attention.” The Auror lowered his wand, clearly trusting Dumbledore’s word over Fudge’s stuttering. “I will be with you in a moment Cornelius.” Dumbledore turned to the three of them.

“I am sending you to my office Harriet, I will be with you in about half an hour. Unfortunately, I will need Sirius and Viktor here to help me explain what has happened.” He pointed his wand at the severed head of the statue that had once stood at the front of the fountain. “Portus.” Harriet glanced at Sirius who nodded, looking a bit worried. Viktor pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“We will see you soon, little lion.” She wrapped him in a hug for a moment still shivering slightly before she nodded and released him placing a hand on the portkey and vanishing in a flash of blue light. The next half hour was a bit grueling. A ministry Legilimens probed Sirius’s mind for the truth they had never bothered to search for before. Recalling that conversation with Lily and James, watching it play out before him, watching himself convince James that Peter was the safer choice, hurt like slicing open an old wound. Watching the memory of realizing that Peter had betrayed them, watching him murder twelve muggles and fake his own death, it was salt in the wound. The memory from two short years ago of Pettigrew escaping was less painful but it was enough solid evidence for the quickly assembled court to vote in his favor. All charges against him were dropped. He was a truly free man for the first time in almost fourteen years. It was a relief, a true honest breath of fresh air as Remus embraced him, thanking Viktor for saving his life.

He did not hear Fudge’s conversation with Dumbledore, that happened behind closed doors. He did help the rest of the Order see off Harriet’s friends back to Hogwarts via portkey. It was the safest way to transport Ron and Hermione, who were both unconscious from their injuries. He was surprised to find three Slytherin’s among their ranks, especially Malfoy’s son. But Luna, Ginny and Neville all vouched for them. Pansy had a slash across her cheek and a few cuts on her legs and arms as well, but they were all shallow. Blaise had a large lump on his forehead and was a little vacant eyed but seemed to be responding clearly despite the obvious concussion. Draco and Neville both bore the obvious symptoms of having been put to the Cruciartus curse, shaking muscles and trembling hands. They vanished quickly with Moody and Tonks who’d volunteered to make sure they got to the hospital wing safely and Kingsley smiled at Sirius.

“So you’re a free man. There’s one more thing you should take care of before you leave.” Sirius frowned as Kingsley fished a file out of the bottom of his desk. “We had a record of James making you Harriet’s Godfather, which makes you her legal guardian. There’s a few things you have to sign.” Sirius frowned.

“And if she doesn’t want to leave her aunt and uncle?” She had wanted to two years ago but she’d never talked about it since. She never talked about her home life around him. Kingsley frowned.

“Sirius she’s being abused at her aunt and uncles.” His throat tightened. He sank into the chair opposite Kingsley.

“What.” Kingsley nodded.

“I thought you knew, Dumbledore knows. We’ve got records of her first Hogwarts letter being addressed to the cupboard under the stairs.” Kingsley held up a hand as Sirius growled. “Now Dumbledore kept her there because there’s a blood spell that keeps her safe while she lives with a blood relative of Lily’s. But I have it on record from a one Remus Lupin that in seventh year he assisted in casting a blood pact between you and James, then you and Lily that tied you together as family.”

“I forgot about that honestly.” Sirius said, glad now that James had suggested it so that they would always have family. Remus hadn’t been included because he and Sirius were soulmates, and had planned to marry after Hogwarts. Peter had been too scared to participate in another banned ritual. Kingsley nodded.

“Well it counts, which means we can remove her from the Dursleys. After you sign the paperwork.” Sirius nodded. There was no way he would let Harriet return to an abusive home, he didn’t care if Dumbledore objected.

“Where do I sign!” Kingsley nodded handing him a few sheets of parchment.


	4. New Horizons

Madame Pomphrey insisted on keeping them in the infirmary overnight. Ron and Hermione definitely needed it, they were still out cold. Blaise, Ginny, Pansy and Luna were healed quickly their injuries were minor but given the late hour Madame Pomphrey kept them as well. Soon after they were brought in Harriet arrived, trailing after Professor Dumbledore.

“Poppy, I have another patient for you.” Madame Pomphrey shook her head gesturing to the empty bed next to Hermione.

“I expected her in sooner. You know the drill by now Miss Potter.” Harriet nodded as the curtains around the bed she’d been assigned closed, blocking her from view so she could change out of her blood stained clothes. Dumbledore stepped over to Madame Pomphrey and whispered something Draco couldn’t hear. Madame Pomphrey’s expression grew dark for a moment then she nodded. “You should have brought her in sooner Albus.” Neville piped up from his bed.

“Um, I don’t want to interrupt but you should know she was put under the Cruciartus curse today too. Well I guess it’s yesterday now but…” Neville floundered. Dumbledore stepped over to him.

“When did this happen Neville?”

“Well Professor Umbridge did it, when Harriet wouldn’t tell her who she used the Floo to call.” Dumbledore’s expression grew steely but his eyes were calm as he sat down in the chair across from Neville.

“Do you mind if I verify that by taking a look at your memory of the event, it will help us build a case against Umbridge.” Neville nodded and Dumbledore’s gaze grew more intense for a moment as Neville’s eyes slid out of focus for an instant. Anger flashed on Dumbledore’s face and for an instant Draco truly understood why the Dark Lord feared this man. But it was gone just a quickly. “Thank you Mr. Longbottom. May I make a copy of this memory to use as evidence. It will not affect your recollection of the event.” Neville nodded and Dumbledore conjured a small glass vial from thin air before gently placing his wand against Neville’s temple and drawing it backwards. Attached to the wand tip was a silvery strand that fell into the vial and swirled as the bottle was corked. “Thank you.” He stood and made his way to the door as the curtains around Harriet’s bed drew themselves back. “Keep them as long as you see fit Poppy, I will make their excuses to their professors.”

Madame Pomphrey nodded and stepped over to Harriet’s bed holding a tray with two potions. She set down the tray and placed a hand to the girl’s forehead. Harriet flinched.

“Headache?” Harriet nodded. “Doesn’t surprise everything you’ve been through.” The matron waved her wand and a third vial flew from a shelf into her hand. “Take this one first.” She poured a measure of the potion into a goblet and Harriet dutifully downed it, and the other two. She was quick to pass out after that, one of them had to have been a sleeping draught. Madame Pomphrey directed her wand at the curtains which closed again around her and her patient.

Madame Pomphrey cast a muffling charm and tutted loudly, knowing the other patients wouldn’t be able to hear her. Albus’s explanation that Voldemort had attempted a botched possession of Harriet turned the healers blood cold. It was honestly a miracle that the poor girl wasn’t dead. Possession was some of the darkest magics, it ran deeper than the Imperious curse and tended to do more damage than the Cruciartus curse. It was what had killed Quirrell. Waving her wand over the sleeping teen Madame Pomphrey tutted again before frowning.

She had some minor nerve damage, as was expected when one was put to the Cruciartus. The potion she’d taken was already starting to work on the damage. But the nerve damage didn’t stop there, from the curse.

“How were you still walking?” Madame Pomphrey asked quietly shaking her head. She’d be shocked if Harriet could feel her toes in the morning. The combined nerve damage and torn muscular tissue would have laid a fully trained Auror out. It was possible to keep going with injuries like this but ones pain tolerance levels had to be ridiculously high to manage it. Madame Pomphrey shook her head again. The fact that a fifteen year old child had to go through as much as she had made her sick at heart. She’d be having a talk with Albus about this later, but for now she set to work, healing the worst of the damage.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sirius raised an eyebrow at the perfectly manicured lawns of Privet Drive. Remus was frowning too. Kingsley had come along as well, to help carry Harriet’s things if need be. Sirius had a sinking suspicion that wouldn’t be necessary. It had taken about a week for the paperwork to go through, for him to officially take up his position as Harriet’s caretaker. The Prophet had printed a large piece on his official release, painting him as a tragic hero wrongfully accused and imprisoned. The fact that he’d never gotten a trial was being used to question the ministry’s effectiveness, despite the fact that there had been a different minister in power at the time. The muggle news ran a piece about it too, carefully crafted by coverup Wizards in the Ministry, but it was very similar to the piece in the Prophet, all tragic heroics painted over to seem more realistic to the muggles. Pettigrew got the blame he so deserved after all these years, in both Wizarding and muggle media. Hopefully that would be enough for someone to catch the rat. But right now there were other things to be getting on with.

They stepped out of the Ministry car, a sleek green number with a magically expanded interior. The Ministry seemed to be doing everything in their power to make up to Sirius the twelve year’s he’d lost to Azkaban, including adding quite a bit of gold to his account at Gringotts as recompence. The three wizards, all dressed in appropriate muggle clothing, stepped up the walk to the door of number four. It was a sunny Saturday just a few days off when Harriet would be returning from Hogwarts. Sirius took great pleasure in knowing she wouldn’t come back here. Remus knocked on the door and after a moment a woman opened it. If Sirius hadn’t known this woman was related to Lily he would never have guessed they had been sisters. Petunia was blonde where her sister had been red haired, she was thin, as Lily had been but on her it made her look like an underfed bird. Her neck was almost absurdly long and her eyes widened nearly comically when she saw them.

“We don’t want your kind here!” She hissed, clearly she recognized Remus and Sirius from the one time the Marauders had visited Lily during their Hogwarts days. She had not grown kinder with the intervening years. Remus caught the door before she could slam it in their faces.

“We are not here to pick a fight Mrs. Dursley, quite the opposite. We’re here to retrieve Harriet’s things.” Petunia blinked. A voice from down the hall called out.

“Who is it Petunia dear?” A red faced beefy man appeared in the doorway from the living room. Petunia blinked again. A third figure appeared from the kitchen, he was beefy like his father and blonde like his mother. He must have been listening to the conversation and he looked concerned.

“Did something happen to Harriet?” The boy asked, almost worriedly. Sirius eyed him for a moment. The boy shrank slightly as though afraid but held his ground.

“Not in so many words. She’s moving in with me.” The beefy man, who must have been Harriet’s uncle Vernon, scoffed.

“Little harlot...” Sirius was across the room before Vernon Dursley could finish his sentence. His wand was in his hand, the other wrapped in Vernon Dursley’s collar.

“Say one more word about my goddaughter, just one. Give me a reason.” Remus cleared his throat as he and Kingsley crossed the threshold closing the door behind them.

“Sirius. We’re here to collect her things nothing more.” Sirius glared at Vernon Dursley for another moment before dropping the man who looked beyond terrified, all the ruddy color had drained from his face, leaving him looking like spoiled milk. The boy, Dudley spoke up again, his voice a little quieter than before.

“So Harriet’s alright?” Remus nodded, smiling kindly at the boy.

“Quite well. But her parent’s Will specified that she be placed in Sirius’s care in the event of their deaths. Since that wasn’t a feasible option until now she was placed here. But as Sirius has become available to care for her she will be living with him from now on.” Sirius grinned internally. He could see why Remus made such a good teacher. The boy seemed to roll the idea around in his head for a moment, he didn’t seem like the brightest bulb in the pack.

“So she won’t be coming home?” Remus shook his head patiently.

“No she will not.” Remus said. Vernon Dursley seemed either immensely stupid or quite brave as he spoke again.

“And good riddance. Would have tossed her out years ago if Petunia hadn’t insisted.” He muttered and Remus laid a hand on Sirius to hold him back from tearing the man in two. Kingsley spoke up.

“Would one of you be kind enough to point us to her room so we can collect her things.” No one volunteered for a moment then Dudley stepped forward.

“Yeah follow me.” He led them up the stairs as his mother rang her hands in concern wide eyes following her son. Hers was the smallest of the rooms, sparsely furnished, just a wardrobe a desk and her bed. There wasn’t much here. A few books on the shelves that Remus recognized as older school books from her previous years at Hogwarts. Dudley leaned in the doorway as they collected what little was there. “She’s got a loose floorboard under the bed, hides stuff there when she doesn’t want mum and dad to find it. Might be something there.” Sirius slipped under the bed. The kid was right, there was a loose floorboard, not much under it though. Just a battered copy of Alice In Wonderland, some spare quills, a loose piece of parchment and a set of Omniocculars. It looked like Harriet went to great lengths to take her things with her to Hogwarts. It disturbed him that most everything she owned could fit in a school trunk. Remus had moved on to the wardrobe. Again it was mostly empty, just some muggle clothes that looked far to big for Harriet to begin with.

“These look like they’re yours not hers.” Remus commented to the boy in the doorway. Dudley frowned.

“Yeah, mum and dad almost never buy her new things. She’s been wearing my old clothes for years, once I outgrew them or they got damaged. Look can you take a note to her from me? I have some stuff I wanted to say to her when she got back but looks like that’s not happening.” Remus raised an eyebrow but nodded. The boy disappeared into the next room over. Sirius raised an eyebrow at his soulmate. Remus shrugged.

“Give him a chance, maybe he wants to apologize.” There was a throaty and purposeful cough from the doorway and they looked up to find Petunia standing there. She had a small jewelry box in her hand, just a simple velvet ring box.

“Will she be safe?” The question startled all three men. Sirius bristled.

“She’ll be safer with me than she ever was with you. What kind of monster locks a child in a cupboard for ten years?” The accusation made Petunia Dursley go pink in the cheeks.

“Dumbledore left a letter when he left her on my doorstep. He said she needed to live with a relative of my sister’s to be safe. Some mumbo jumbo about… magic.” She glanced around before hissing the final word of her sentence. Sirius nodded.

“Yeah when Lily died for her daughter she evoked an ancient magic that will keep Harriet safe when she lives with a blood relative. But when we were seventeen Lily and I sealed a family blood pact. Making us family, unfortunately that relates me to you too but it does mean that the protection will extend to my house too.” Dumbledore had quickly caught wind of Sirius taking up his proper position as Harriet’s caretaker. He had agreed after learning of the blood pact from Sirius’s memory. He was getting a bit sick of people rooting around in his brain. Petunia nodded and held out the small box.

“I was going to give this to her when she moved out.” Remus, who was closest took the box and opened it. His eyes went wide. He held it out to Sirius who blinked. Inside the box nestled three rings. Lily and James’s wedding bands, and Lily’s engagement ring.

“How did you…” But Petunia had already disappeared from the doorway. Kingsley shook his head looking around the room. There was nothing else here. They had one bag, the majority of its contents the school books from previous years. There were no family pictures here of her with the Dursleys. No little Knick knacks, once they left there would be no sign in the house that two children had lived here. Dudley reappeared in the door holding a folded piece of notebook paper. He handed it to Remus whom he seemed least afraid of. Remus nodded thanking him as the three wizards made their way to the door. Vernon was still blustering in the hallway.

“So we wont be seeing the girl again?” He sounded excited and it made Remus’s stomach turn. Sirius bristled. But before any of the wizards present could say anything Dudley spoke up.

“Dad she saved my life this summer, do us all a favor and shut up.” Vernon blinked at his son and Sirius laughed at the expression on Petunia’s face. Remus smiled at the kid as they nodded and left. Kingsley grinned slightly as they spotted the new neighbor moving in next door. Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle had volunteered to keep an eye on Harriet’s muggle family in case they were targeted even after Harriet left.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Draco had never been less excited to leave Hogwarts. Going with Harriet and the others to the Ministry had lost him the respect of most of his housemates. Blaise and Pansy stood by him and surprisingly Harriet and the other members Dumbledore’s Army stood up for them too when Theodore Nott, Crabbe and Goyle attempted to ambush him on the Hogwarts Express. He had already apologized to the golden trio for his previous treatment of them. They had forgiven him, and he was glad if surprised. When Harriet pointed out that him helping them at the ministry proved that he had changed he blushed slightly. Pansy and Blaise had nodded at them as Harriet tossed him a cauldron cake. He’d also apologized to Neville for everything he’d ever done to the Gryffindor.

When they reached the station there was a small knot of people waiting for them. Moody and the pink haired woman from the Ministry were at the head of the group. Moody stepped up, not to Harriet but to Draco. He held out an official form.

“You’ve been volunteered for protective custody kid.” Draco blinked. It was probably a good idea honestly. His father and aunt had been shipped off to Azkaban but it was likely that the Dementors had already abandoned the prison. He nodded to the ex Auror. The woman with pink hair smiled at him.

“I’m Tonks, I’m an Auror. This your stuff?” He nodded. She gently took his trunk from him and offered him an arm. “I’ll be escorting you by side along.” He nodded and turned to Pansy and Blaise hugging them tight. Harriet held out a hand to him and after a moment he shook it, nodding to her. She nodded back. He took the Auror’s arm and they vanished.

Harriet blinked spotting Sirius as she came through the barrier. She ran straight to him, pleased beyond words that he could be here, out in the open now that his name had been cleared. He caught her up in a hug. She glanced around.

“Where are the Dursleys?” Sirius grinned.

“You’re not going back there.” She lit up like a child at Christmas.

“Really! Seriously!” She wrapped him in another embrace. “Thank you! Oh thank you so much!” Sirius held her a grin on his face, though it was a bit melancholy. He’d had a similar reaction when James’s parents had taken him in. Hermione and Ron were beaming at them and Sirius beaconed them forward turning the hug into a group hug. Mrs. Weasley smiled lightly. She had been beyond pleased when she’d been told they were finally getting Harriet out of that awful house. She’d confided in Sirius everything that Harriet had ever told her about the Dursleys, including them putting bars on her window when she was twelve. She’d gone with him to shop for Harriet’s room and he couldn’t be more grateful for her assistance. He had no idea what girls Harriet’s age needed though he had some idea of what she enjoyed.

Dumbledore had gone through Number Twelve after his banishment from Hogwarts but before the battle at the ministry and helped them with some of the more difficult cleanup jobs though they had yet to get to Regulus’s old room. Buckbeak had been moved to Hogwarts, under the new name Witherwings, since he was starting to get sick from being cooped up for so long. His mother’s portrait had finally come down with Dumbledore’s assistance, Sirius took great pleasure in burning that, though Kreacher had cried and raged at him for it. Harriet would be taking up residence in what had been his mother’s room. Now cleaned and redecorated it looked nothing like it had. The walls were a soft but bright blue, the bed a large fourposter, a Gryffindor banner hung on the wall, though they remained otherwise undecorated. The closet was full of clothes Mrs. Weasley had helped Sirius pick out. He had spared no expense in decking out her wardrobe with whatever Mrs. Weasley thought she might need. Tonks had a hand in it too since she was closer to Harriet’s age.

When they reached Number Twelve and he showed her to her new room Harriet’s eyes had filled with tears and for a moment Sirius thought he’d done something wrong until she turned to him and asked in a voice so quiet as to almost not be there at all.

“This is all mine?” He’d nodded and she’d wrapped him in another bear hug, sniffling into his chest. He was starting to wish he’d hexed Vernon Dursley for ever putting Harriet through that much abuse. He’d seen the cupboard she’d lived in until she was ten in passing and it was tiny. Another bonus of his officially taking her on as his ward meant that Kreacher had to follow her orders now too. In all honesty it wasn’t perfect. Harriet had night terrors, something Sirius hadn’t known but that didn’t surprise him. Remus moved in too, since Sirius had proposed and they were planning a quiet private ceremony. Moody agreed to officiate, and Sirius married his soulmate in the kitchen of Number Twelve to tumultuous applause from the invited Order members, and the gathered Weasley clan. Hermione was not present as she had insisted she go home to visit her parents. Viktor was there, he’d brought some rather expensive wedding presents. A very old book for Remus, and a new enchanted record player for Sirius, to fill the house with music and laughter. Sirius really liked Viktor.

One evening he and Remus were cuddling after a particularly bad full moon. Remus and he would leave the house and aparate to a forest, leaving a few Order members behind to watch over Harriet. They returned the next morning and usually Harriet had tea waiting for them. She was honestly far too sweet for having grown up in a house as abusive as the Dursleys. Sirius looked up at his soulmate and grinned.

“What would you say if I gave Viktor Lily’s old engagement ring?” Remus smiled down at him. Sirius liked being the little spoon it made him feel safe.

“I think she’d like that.” Sirius smiled at him and kissed him. He had honestly never thought he would be this happy again when they carted him off to Azkaban. He was going to bask in it as long as he could. 


	5. A Short Mission

Harriet blinked at a knock on her door. She was still sort of wrapping her head around the fact that she had the biggest room in the house. Sirius had insisted, he and Remus were sharing a room a level below hers. She was pretty sure there was a muffling charm on their room and she was glad, they were very cuddly and she was happy for both of them but were some things she could live without hearing. Of course it made spying on Order meetings more difficult. They still wouldn’t let her join until she was seventeen, even though she lived permanently at headquarters now. It was wonderful honestly, if a bit overwhelming. Besides the Burrow she had never lived at a place where everyone liked her. It was odd, though the near constant presence of the Weasleys made it a bit more familiar.

Molly, Ginny and Ron stayed most days. Bill had popped by a few times bringing greetings from Fleur to whom he was engaged. They would be seeing each other when they went to Diagon Alley for their school shopping. Hermione had yet to arrive. Harriet set down her book on the arm of the armchair Remus had helped her move in here and reupholster. She stepped over to the door and opened it blinking at the figure waiting on the other side. She hadn’t seen Dumbledore in person since after the ministry. He smiled, blue eyes twinkling behind half moon spectacles.

“Professor Dumbledore! I didn’t realize you were here.” She was trying to remember if there was a meeting tonight that she should have been trying to eavesdrop on. He smiled a bit wider.

“A bit of an impromptu visit. May I come in?” Harriet nodded stepping aside so the headmaster could enter her room. In all honesty it was about the size of a studio apartment, with several bookshelves, a fireplace, a large rolltop desk, her wardrobe and fourposter bed and two large plush armchairs near the fire. It wasn’t pristine, Harriet had never liked her rooms too clean. It reminded her of the Dursleys. But the larger space had the added benefit of making the mess seem smaller. Dumbledore seemed to approve as he sat down in the chair next to the one Harriet had vacated. Harriet paused a bit out of sorts, usually it was Ginny in her room and the two girls tended to argue about Quidditch while they braided their hair or played gobstones.

“Can I offer you some tea?” She asked a bit lamely. She did have her own kettle. Remus was something of a tea addict and thought it was a good idea to have a kettle for every fire in case the need arose. Harriet was honestly quite glad of it, it helped on sleepless nights when her memories kept her awake or when she awoke screaming from the graveyard, or watching Bellatrix’s curse hit Viktor or Sirius in the department of mysteries.

“That’s quite kind but no thank you. I am in need of your assistance however.” Harriet nodded sitting back in her armchair.

“What do you need?”

“I have an errand to run tonight, and I believe you will be of great help. After which we may retrieve Miss Granger from her home. I have already written to her and she has agreed to coming here for the remainder of the summer. Sirius agrees as well.” Harriet grinned.

“Absolutely!” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled then he grew a bit more serious,

“There are a few things I wish to say before we set out though. Have you been having anymore visions of Voldemort’s mind?” Harriet shook her head. “I thought not, it seems Lord Voldemort is employing Occlumency against you now. He has realized that your connection goes both ways and that you could use it against him, though perhaps not in the same way he used it against you.” Harriet frowned at the memory of the dream Voldemort had planted in her brain to lure her to the Department of Mysteries.

“I don’t mind, it means my scar doesn’t hurt nearly as often.” Dumbledore nodded.

“I have another piece of news for you. I will be giving you separate instruction this year, alongside your regular classes. Have you told anyone of the contents of the prophecy?” Harriet shook her head looking a bit excited about the prospect of private lessons with Dumbledore.

“No… Not even Sirius or Viktor. I don’t want them to worry.” Dumbledore nodded.

“I understand but I believe this caution may be relaxed in favor of Miss Granger and Mr. Ronald Weasley. They have been with you through too much, you do them a disservice by keeping this from them. If you wish to share this information with Mr. Krum that is up to you. I believe he has proven himself trustworthy as well. But in the end it is your decision. I only ask that you do not relay any of this by owl.” Harriet nodded as her ruby red snake, Amy, slithered up the back of Dumbledore’s chair and flicked out her tongue. Harriet stiffuled a laugh and Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her.

“She likes your hat.” The snake hissed again and Harriet frowned. “What do you mean he smells hurt?” Dumbledore looked up at the snake.

“A perceptive creature you have there.” He shook back his right sleeve, the arm underneath was blackened. Harriet hissed in sympathy. Before she could ask what had happened he’d recovered his arm. “A terribly exciting adventure that I will tell you about some other time. We should set out, but I ask that you bring your invisibility cloak with you, just in case.” Harriet nodded standing and pulling the silvery cloth out of her wardrobe. She also grabbed a long leather coat since the summer had been unseasonably chilly. It was her favorite of her new clothes because it felt about halfway between the wizarding and the muggle world. It was somehow comforting. She pulled it on and followed Dumbledore out of Number Twelve.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Draco Malfoy was actually quite pleased with the family who had taken him in. He was surprised that he was being placed with his family, his mother’s sister that he had never met, Andromeda. She was not at all like either of her sisters, though she looked so much like Bellatrix it had frightened him at first. But her temperament was nothing like her sisters. She sat him down when he arrived and told him in no uncertain terms that she would not tolerate any ‘anti-muggle, pureblood nonsense’. Her husband was a muggleborn, which explained why she had been scrubbed from the family tree and why he’d never met her.

They did not live in a large house, just a small cottage with a lovely garden and only two floors. The Fidelius charm had been cast over the place, with Andromeda’s daughter Nymphadora Tonks, who preferred just Tonks, as Secret Keeper. This meant that Draco had no contact with anyone over the summer, save when Tonks brought his OWL scores and Hogwarts letter to him. He would be accompanying another group of people who were potential targets of Death Eaters to Diagon Alley. He didn’t know that meant Harriet and the Weasleys, though it made a lot of sense. They were in the twins shop, a wonderful place full of jokes and laughter unlike the world outside when Harriet cornered him by the front window.

“Have you been alright?” He nodded.

“Yeah. It’s been odd, not being home, but better than the alternative I suppose.” She nodded.

“You look better.” He frowned. He hadn’t expected that. He was tanned from working out in the small garden. He lacked his usual slicked back appearance. His sweater wasn’t actually his, it belonged to Ted Tonks and was slightly too large for him. He looked out the window for something to do, anything and froze, rooted to the spot. His mother stood outside with a group of people he recognized. Crabbe, Goyle and Theodore Nott.

“What are they doing with her?” He muttered, worried. He had hoped that his mother had managed to slip away from the Dark Lord’s grasp after his father’s arrest, that didn’t seem to be the case though as both Crabbe’s father and Goyle’s were with them. Both he knew to be Death Eaters.

“I don’t know.” Harriet was looking out the window now too. “Do you want to find out?” She had pulled her silvery invisibility cloak out of an inside pocket of her jacket. He hesitated, one second, two seconds. Then he nodded and she tossed the cloak over both of them and they disappeared. Following his mother at a distance, invisible, listening in to Theo, the quiet boy from his dorm threaten Borgin, it left him with more questions than answers. They managed to get back to the Joke shop and insisted they had been in the back room the whole time. It amazed Draco who easy it was for the Gryffindor Princess to lie. He couldn’t help but wonder how much she’d gotten away with because of those big green eyes of hers. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  


All told it was a lovely summer, Harriet hadn’t ever had a better birthday. Remus had gotten her a few new defense books, Sirius had gotten her a pair of gold earrings shaped like dragons, that had rubies set as eyes and a matching necklace. Her two living model dragons, from the Triwizard Tournament, weren’t too fond of those. Viktor had given her his model of the Chinese Fireball he had fought. Her Hungarian Horntail got on well with the other model and liked to ride around on Amy’s head. Hedwig wanted nothing to do with any of them. Hermione had gotten her a book called, ‘Notable Auror’s through History’, Ron got her a new copy of ‘Quidditch through the Ages’. Viktor’s gift was by far the most impressive.

It was a wand holster, fitted around her arm it made quick drawing the simplest thing in the world. It was enchanted so that only she could remove her wand from the holster. Fleur had apparently assisted in making it, she’d provided Veela hair, which made the holster almost indestructible. Moody had been quite impressed with the quality of the holster. Viktor had shrugged.

“My grandfather was a very skilled craftsman, he taught my father before he was killed by Grindelwald. My father taught me.” Sirius nodded admiring the craftsmanship.

“Do you take commission, the Order could use these.” Sirius commented handing Harriet back the holster. She slipped it on and smiled.

“I could make them for the Order. I do not believe I could convince Fleur for much more Veela hair.” Moody nodded.

“Even without, this is much better quality than the shit they hand out at Auror Training.” He grumbled. “Mine didn’t last two months.”

“Mine made it three.” Tonks bragged. Moody cuffed her around the back of the head, but it was closer to a gentle ruffle of her hair. The grouchy man had trained Tonks. Viktor helped her strap her wand into place and showed her how to flick her wrist in the proper way to summon and put away her wand. She smiled up at him and he leaned down and pecked her on the lips.

“Do you like it little lion?” She grinned. He wasn’t sure when he’d started using the nickname in English but he’d always called her that in Bulgarian.

“I love it Viktor. Thank you.” He smiled.

“I hope it will be useful.” Remus laughed.

“Knowing how much trouble she gets into I’m betting it will be.” Harriet pulled a face at him and pulled Viktor into another kiss. She was really hoping this year would be quieter than the last few but there was no guarantee of anything these days.


	6. Plots and Poisons

Blaise was not expecting the invite to lunch with the new professor. His surprise grew when he knew several people there, Harriet, Ginny and Neville. He was aware of McLaggen, a seventh year Gryffindor who was a notorious womanizer. Marcus Belby was a decent student in charms. Everyone but Ginny had family with influence. Slughorn was a collector, trying his best to collect students who would be of great renown someday, or already were in Harriet’s case. It was sort of amusing to watch really but soon the lunch ended and they left the compartment.

“Good to see you Blaise.” Harriet held out a hand and he shook it.

“You too Harriet, good summer?” She nodded as they made their way past a compartment filled with Slytherins. Theo, Crabbe and Goyle glared as they passed.

“Not too bad. Better than last summer.” They had reached Blaise’s compartment that he was sharing with Draco and Pansy who had both returned from their Prefect duties. Pansy grinned tossing a cauldron cake at Harriet who caught it with the grace of a seeker.

“You look better.” Harriet shrugged.

“I suppose actually being able to eat every day over the summer does help with that.” Pansy raised an eyebrow.

“Oh that was your secret. A bunch of us debated how you stay so skinny. That’s a depressing reason for it though.” Harriet shrugged biting into the cauldron cake and speaking around her mouthful.

“Yes well. Listen Blaise be careful around Professor Slughorn he’s… a bit skeevy if you ask me.” Blaise nodded, helping himself to a licorice wand. Draco frowned.

“What do you mean?” She shook her head slightly, her mouth too full to speak. Blaise snorted and filled in the silence.

“He’s one of those people, a collector of the rich, famous and powerful.” Pansy hummed in understanding.

“Sounds like you’ve only got one of the three Blaise, Harriet here she should be careful she’s got all three.” Harriet flipped Pansy off as Draco snorted. Pansy blew the other girl a kiss. Draco dissolved into laughter and Harriet joined in after a moment. It was nice, if surprising. Pansy frowned after a moment.

“So will we still be meeting in the Shack Hogsmeade weekends?” Harriet shook her head.

“Nah, no point with Umbridge gone, but Hermione thinks it’s a good idea to turn the DA into a kind of study group if you three want in.” Blaise, Draco and Pansy nodded. Harriet pulled three gold coins out of her pocket. She handed one to each of them, for a moment they were confused, they looked like ordinary galleons. Harriet explained. “The serial number changes to correspond with dates we meet up. It’ll get warm when there’s a new meetup.” Pansy laughed.

“That’s brilliant, no wonder Umbridge couldn’t work out how you lot were communicating.” Draco commented examining the coin. Harriet nodded.

“Well we don’t need the whole school knowing so keep it quiet will you?” The three Slytherins nodded and Harriet bid them farewell. Draco frowned slightly as he finished filling Blaise and Pansy in on what he and Harriet had seen at Borgin and Burkes. Pansy frowned.

“So what, you think he might have joined up?” She asked, sorting through several Berty Botts beans.

“Worse I think they might have joined up. All three of them.” Blaise shook his head, pulling on his robes.

“Would they be allowed to, I mean from what you’ve told us even He requires that you be seventeen. Gives more freedom and you lose the Trace.” Draco shook his head.

“Trace doesn’t matter at Hogwarts. I don’t know, it’s just the feeling I’ve got.” Pansy nodded.

“And you’re worried about your mum.” She stated picking up a green bean and studying it. Draco nodded.

“Yeah, she’s on her own now, not that dad didn’t deserve Azkaban but…” He trailed off. Blaise sat down next to him and pulled him into a hug.

“I know you’re worried Draco but we’re still kids, what the hell are we supposed to do.” Pansy scoffed at Blaise.

“Go to Harriet, everyone knows she’s got Dumbledore’s ear. He’s practically her grandfather.” Draco caught the bean Pansy tossed him and nodded.

“Yeah I think I will.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The first half of the term zipped by far too quickly for Harriet, who was left alone far more often than she had ever been before. Ron and Hermione had finally stopped dancing around each other after the first Quidditch game of the season. They were never out of each other’s company now, and Harriet was reminded of herself and Viktor which was a little bittersweet. She hadn’t seen him since he came to see her off on the Hogwarts Express. It was nearly impossible to see anyone outside the castle these days since Katie’s accident. Harriet didn’t think it was an accident. Ron and Hermione agreed but couldn’t decouple for long enough to really talk about it. So Harriet went to someone who was well versed in the Dark Arts.

The whole school had been a bit surprised at the friendship between Harriet and the three Slytherins. But Draco had been an indispensable help with the odd things that had been happening this year. He suspected that Theodore Nott, Crabbe and Goyle had joined up with the Death Eaters and it made a terrible kind of sense. Voldemort would certainly want spies inside the castle, aside from Snape whom Harriet still wasn’t convinced was on their side. Blaise flicked through her copy of Advanced Potion making in the classroom that the quartet had sort of taken over as a meet up point. No one seemed to mind, it was a spare to begin with and made for a neutral ground about halfway between the Slytherin and Gryffindor common rooms.

“No idea who this Prince bloke is, handwriting looks familiar though.” Blaise commented handing the book to Draco who shrugged. Harriet made to move and yelped in pain as Pansy jabbed her with a pin.

“Oww!”

“I told you not to move!” Pansy chastised as Blaise and Draco shook their heads. They were used to Pansy’s fashion obsession. Harriet was still relatively new to it and Pansy was insisting on designing her dress for Slughorn’s Christmas party. Blaise and Harriet had both received invites. Hermione was taking Ron and since Viktor wasn’t an option Harriet was taking Draco so that the floods of boys would leave her the hell alone. Hermione kept warning her to be on the lookout for love potions, having overheard at least one boy talking about ways to slip them to her. Blaise picked his Transfiguration essay back up to check it over as Harriet pouted.

“You know I have a dress right?” Harriet asked and pansy scoffed.

“Yeah one. From two years ago! Don’t think I didn’t talk to Hermione.” Harriet blushed slightly. Pansy waved her wand and a few swatches of fabric floated up next to Harriet’s head. “I remember your Yule ball dress, beautiful but overkill for this party. You’d look like an idiot.”

“Oh yes because I’m not already good at looking like a fool at fancy parties.” Harriet said sarcastically.

“That I have no control over, but fashion I’m something of an expert on. And now that we’re friends I cannot allow you to look like the poor sad waif you are. Blaise what do you think purple or green?” Blaise looked up from his essay and tilted his head.

“Green matches her eyes.” Blaise commented.

“And it’ll piss off a lot of people when she shows up in Slytherin colors with a Slytherin.” Draco pointed out and Pansy frowned.

“A good point. Lavender then!” Harriet rolled her eyes.

“You do realize I don’t give a fuck what people think right.” She asked as Pansy swirled her wand, adjusting the drape of the mock up dress Harriet was wearing.

“We know you don’t it’s part of the problem. Other people care very much what the darling Chosen One gets up to.” Harriet pulled a face as Pansy pinned the sleeve.

“The fact that your soulmate is from Durmstrang is definitely still a point of contention from a lot of places.” Blaise pointed out and Harriet let out a long suffering sigh.

“People suck.” Draco laughed.

“There’s the inner Slytherin.” Harriet stuck out her tongue at him.

“I should never have told you lot that.” They laughed as Pansy shooed the boys out of the room so Harriet could change back into her school robes.

Harriet ended up with a floaty dress in lavender purple with a shimmering silver overlay. A lot of people were indeed shocked when she showed up with Draco Malfoy but no one said anything about it. She had learned that the wizarding world hailing her as the Chosen One, whether they were right or not, meant she got away with not being questioned a lot more than usual. Christmas was spent at the Burrow since it had been voted that Number Twelve was too gloomy but Sirius and Remus were there with Viktor to greet them, though they were staying elsewhere. Harriet shared her and Draco’s worries about Theodore Nott, Crabbe and Goyle with Sirius, Remus and Mr. Weasley. Remus and Mr. Weasley were skeptical, Sirius however had other things to say.

“They let my brother Regulus join young, barely out of Hogwarts. He was no great shakes at magic. Always a better planner than anything else. You know if any of them are like that?” Harriet shook her head at him.

“Not that I know of. Crabbe and Goyle have always been more muscle than brains. I don’t actually know much about Nott, he’s always been quiet though. Sort of solitary even for a Slytherin.” Sirius snorted slightly. He was still a bit shaky on the idea of Harriet having friends from Slytherin. She pulled him aside one evening though, before they were to head back to Hogwarts.

“Can you please lay off my friends from Slytherin?” He frowned.

“I just don’t trust them. No one I’ve ever known went bad when they weren’t in Slytherin.”

“Peter Pettigrew.” That shut Sirius up rather quickly. “Look I get not trusting Slytherin’s but you can’t judge them because they’re Slytherins. They could have turned on me at the ministry last year and that fight might have ended very differently. Besides I was almost in Slytherin Sirius. Would you have not trusted me if the hat hadn’t listened when I asked not to be there?” Sirius blinked then pulled her into a hug.

“Oh, Harriet nothing could change my opinion of you. Ever. You’re like a daughter to me. No matter what.” She hugged him back and smiled slightly. It was good to know that Sirius cared no matter what, not because she was ‘the Chosen One’, or the Girl-Who-Lived. Just because she was Harriet. Heading Back to Hogwarts with a kiss goodbye from Viktor she smiled slightly as Pansy, Blaise and Draco joined her, Ron, Hermione and Ginny in their compartment.

Ron’s birthday arrived, he and Hermione would be spending it together. That left Harriet alone at breakfast again. Ginny was hanging out with Luna. She wasn’t alone for long, unfortunately, as Cormac McLaggen slid into the seat next to her sliding in rather close. She rolled her eyes and sighed when he accidentally knocked her bag off the bench next to her. She leaned backward and snagged it before a few Hufflepuff seventh years would have stepped on it. She missed McLaggen palming something over her coffee mug.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Across the hall though Pansy spotted it and shot to her feet snagging Draco and Blaise with a hiss as Harriet picked up the mug, McLaggen spouting something about Quidditch. But the Gryffindor table was across the hall from the Slytherin one and they weren’t quite quick enough to stop Harriet from drinking her coffee. McLaggen grinned in triumph as Harriet frowned and her whole expression changed. It grew sickeningly soppy and she let McLaggen lead her out of the hall as Blaise reached the table and snatched up the abandoned coffee mug sniffing the contents.

“Love potion.” He growled and Draco and Pansy took off after McLaggen who was already out the door with Harriet. Blaise set down the coffee cup and took off after them as McGonagall swept down from the head table to confirm what had just happened. One sniff of the coffee was enough to confirm what the Slytherin’s had already noticed. She was going to be having a few choice words with McLaggen when she got her hands on him. If Dumbledore hadn’t been absent McGonagall was certain he would have words for the seventh year as well. She caught up with the group in a classroom just off the Great Hall. Pansy had hexed McLaggen, a rather expertly cast Bat Bogey Hex, worthy of Ginny Weasley. Draco and Blaise were attempting to hold Harriet back, the pink film over normally green eyes told McGonagall that this love potion was particularly powerful.

“Malfoy, Zabini, Parkinson. Take her to Professor Slughorn, he should be in his office. I will deal with McLaggen.” McGonagall ordered and they quickly obeyed. Pansy cast a silencing charm on Harriet which Minerva was sure the girl would thank her for later since she was attempting to loudly profess her love for McLaggen as he was swarmed by large flying bogeys. It took all three of the Slytherins to get Harriet out of the room and down the hall. Only then did McGonagall remove Pansy’s hex.

“Now you can explain to me why you thought dosing anyone with a love potion is fitting behavior Mr. McLaggen!” She was practically seething and McLaggen seemed to understand that he had just royally fucked up because he went pale as a sheet. “Or did you think no one would notice.”

Getting Harriet down to the dungeons was a difficult affair. Blaise had managed to trap her wand hand so she couldn’t hex them and go running back to McLaggen. Pansy hammered on the door to Slughorn’s office and the man answered looking a bit out of sorts in his smoking jacket and pajamas. He frowned at them.

“What exactly is happening here?” He asked and Pansy removed her silencing charm on Harriet by way of explanation.

“You have to let me go back! You don’t understand! He’s so strong and handsome!”

“Love potion sir.” Blaise said struggling to keep a hold of her wand arm. Slughorn nodded.

“I can see that. Powerful stuff, but fixable. Come in.” He opened the door and they struggled her inside. Slughorn had clearly dealt with this sort of thing before though because he was calm as can be. “Don’t you worry Harriet he’ll be here soon.” She calmed almost instantly.

“Really?” It made Pansy nauseous, the simpering tone she’d never heard from Harriet before coupled with the pink glazed eyes. But Slughorn nodded.

“Of course my dear!” He said as he mixed ingredients rather quickly, it seemed he wasn’t too keen on this potion drugged Harriet either. He glanced at Pansy with a raised eyebrow. She muttered McLaggen’s name to the professor and his eyes narrowed but he kept speaking calmly. “McLaggen takes remedial potions with me every Saturday.” Harriet perked up, still glazed eyed.

“Oh really? Maybe I can take it with him!” Slughorn scoffed lightly as he poured his finished mixture into a glass.

“Hardly something you need my dear. Here drink that down.” Harriet frowned.

“What is it?”

“Tonic for the nerves you know, so you won’t be too nervous when he gets here.” She grinned and downed the potion in one go. It took a moment but her expression went from soppy devotion to utter and complete horror.

“Oh god I think I’m gonna be sick.” Slughorn was ready though, sliding a bucket in front of her as she wretched. She grabbed it and emptied the contents of her stomach into the bucket.

“You back with us then Harriet?” Blaise asked tentatively. She nodded shaking slightly.

“Not an unusual reaction to a love potion I’m afraid, though usually more psychologically caused than physically.” Slughorn said shaking his head and holding out a second glass, this one plain water. Harriet took it and rinsed her mouth out spitting into the bucket before Slughorn vanished the whole thing. “Are you alright my dear?” Harriet shook her head.

“No. But thanks for saving my arse back there, I really appreciate it.” Pansy nodded, Blaise shrugged and Draco patted her on the shoulder.

“Thank Pansy she spotted the bastard spiking your coffee.” Harriet buried her head in her hands as Draco’s words. Slughorn tutted.

“Well done Miss Parkingson, twenty points to Slytherin, actually make it thirty, ten each!” He said stepping over to a cabinet. “What you need now is a pick me up my dear! Finest oak matured mead, I’ve been saving it. Meant to give it to Dumbledore as a Christmas present but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” He popped the cork and poured four generous cups of the golden liquid handing them out with a wave of his wand. Harriet caught hers without looking up and downed it like a shot, a crime really with such a vintage but a moment later that didn’t matter. As Slughorn raised his glass to toast Slytherin ingenuity a horrible choking noise filled the room. Harriet’s lips were turning blue and her eyes had rolled back. The mead was poisoned. Draco acted before anyone else could think, tearing across the room into Slughorn’s potion kit and pulling out the Bezoar within. He threw it to Blaise who dropped his glass of mead to catch the red stone. He tilted Harriet’s head back and shoved it down her throat. Her breathing eased as Pansy screamed at Slughorn to do something. He pulled his wand and cast a patronus. In moments Madame Pomphrey had materialized from the fireplace and was whisking Harriet off to the hospital wing. Silence rang through the room.


	7. Reactionary

Viktor Krum had long been under the assumption that his soulmate was accident prone. Soul marks were quite useful things. While they didn’t work like a tracking device or anything like that, they connected soulmates on a level beyond that of simply sharing a mark on their skin. If one of the pair was in mortal danger, actively dying, the image rippled. If one of the pair died the image became blackened like a burn.

His had rippled quite a few times over the last five years. Before he met Harriet, he was convinced that his soulmate might be some sort of adrenaline junkie daredevil, or maybe a professional dueler, their lives were put in danger quite often. But no, Harriet was simply a target from most every dark scheme in the UK, which really just wasn’t fair. He was working on Remus’s wand holster in the kitchen of Number Twelve when the mark rippled again and he hissed in familiar pain. His breath caught in his throat as it always did when the mark rippled. When it did not go black he began to breathe again. A few minutes later the fireplace lit up green and Minerva McGonagall’s head appeared in the fire.

“Oh Mr. Krum, Remus, is Sirius in?” Sirius popped his head around from the doorway.

“Someone call me?” Minerva nodded as Sirius approached the fireplace.

“Yes I’m afraid so Sirius. There’s been an incident. It’s Harriet. It’s a bit of a long story, I need you at Hogwarts, now. Mr. Krum you best come too.” Viktor shot to his feet already knowing that this was worse than some petty fist fight. McGonagall’s head vanished and Sirius exchanged a worried look with Remus before grabbing a handful of Floo powder and throwing it into the fireplace.

“Hogwarts!” He stepped in and vanished. Remus nodded to Viktor who followed quickly. He found himself in a well lit office. Sirius was here brushing off the soot on his robes. McGonagall was sitting behind the desk.

“Sit down please gentlemen.” They did so glancing at each other.

“What happened?” Sirius demanded. McGonagall sighed.

“Harriet has had quite the day. One of the seventh year Gryffindors, Cormac McLaggen, slipped her a love potion this morning.” Viktor’s stomach turned to stone. McGonagall didn’t allow either of them to interrupt as Sirius began to growl. “She’s quite lucky her friends from Slytherin noticed and followed them. No lasting harm done there, but it get’s more complicated.” Sirius frowned.

“More complicated than some bastard slipping my Goddaughter a love potion!” Minerva nodded.

“I’m afraid so. Her friends got her down to Professor Slughorn who administered an antidote to the love potion. He then attempted to cheer her up with a mead he’d been saving since Christmas, which turned out to be poisoned.” All color raced out of Sirius’s face as Viktor rubbed the mark on his arm almost for reassurance. “Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Zabini were quick to act, Harriet will be fine. If they hadn’t been as quick as they were we would be having a very different conversation.” Sirius buried his head in his hands shaking. Viktor found his voice.

“May we see her?” McGonagall nodded.

“Yes. She’s stable in the hospital wing. We’re investigating the poison now. Professor Slughorn says he was gifted the mead to give to Professor Dumbledore.” Sirius looked up.

“By whom?”

“Madame Rosmerta. She claims the bottle was stolen.” Sirius got to his feet and McGonagall nodded stepping to the door and leading them down the hall to the Hospital wing.

Hermione, Ron, Fred and George were already there with Hagrid. Harriet was on the bed, pale as the sheet that surrounded her. Ron shifted out of Viktor’s way when they appeared and Viktor took Harriet’s hand. She shifted slightly in her sleep but did not wake. Sirius frowned at Fred and George.

“What are you two doing here?”

“It’s Ron’s birthday. We were in Hogsmeade to surprise him.” George said, his voice hoarse.

“Thinking of buying Zonkos, have a Hogsmeade branch. But apparently Hogsmeade weekends have been canceled.” Fred finished scrubbing at his face. Sirius pulled them into a hug. He could never thank the Weasley’s enough. While he’d been in Azkaban Harriet had found a family in them and they had never abandoned her. She had five older brothers and a younger sister. Percy might have fallen out with the family but the rest of them were still there for her. It really meant the world to him. Madame Pomphrey came over to tell them that only six visitors were allowed at a time. Fred, George and Hagrid left. Ron had a sniffling Hermione in his arms.

“What do we think happened?” Sirius asked perching at the end of Harriet’s bed. Ron shook his head.

“No idea, Hermione and I were out walking by the lake when Hagrid showed up with Fred and George. Hagrid got a Patronus from McGonagall telling him what had happened and we ran up here. We weren’t there when it happened.” A tentative knock at the door revealed a very pale Pansy Parkinson.

“Professor McGonagall told me to come here when Snape was finished.” Ron and Hermione nodded beckoning her over.

“Sirius, Viktor, this is Pansy. She’s the one who spotted what that scumbag McLaggen was doing.” Ron said around a slightly blocked nose. Everyone had been crying a bit. Sirius stepped over to Pansy who stood her ground. He wrapped her in a bearhug and she blinked as though confused. Viktor smiled tightly from his spot holding Harriet’s hand. Sirius led Pansy over and let her explain what had happened. When she had finished the door opened again and this time it was Dumbledore sweeping into the room still in a traveling cloak, he looked as though he had been somewhere sandy as some still clung to the bottom of his cloak. He took one look over the bed in which Harriet rested and swept over to Madame Pomphrey’s office, disappearing behind the door. Ron shivered slightly, he’d never seen the Headmaster so angry.

It took another six hours before Harriet regained consciousness. Madame Pomphrey insisted on keeping her in the hospital wing for a week if not longer. The poison had left her shaky and severely weakened. There was a plus side though. Overnight a small vial had appeared in her bedside table with a note that read, ‘Don’t think less of me when you see it’. Apparently all she’d had to do to get Slughorn to give up the memory Dumbledore needed was almost die in front of him. A bit of overkill perhaps. She had quite a few visitors. The entire Quidditch team trooped in. Ron currently wore her Quidditch Captain badge with pride. He’d found an interim chaser and had Ginny replace Harriet as seeker. Ginny wasn’t as good but she had won them the cup last year by the skin of their teeth.

Pansy, Blaise and Draco also visited, along with Hermione. The brunette brought Harriet her homework and by request the Marauders Map, a secret she shared now with Pansy, Blaise and Draco.

“This is bloody brilliant!” Blaise said examining the map currently laid out in front of Harriet. She nodded grinning.

“I know. This way I can keep an eye on the three we talked about.” She said glancing over at Madame Pomphrey’s office. “Though I’ve been thinking there might be a more effective way.” She glanced down at the map. Nearly everyone was at the Gryffindor verses Hufflepuff game, the commentary of which was floating in through an open window. Harriet chuckled at Luna’s narration of everything but the game itself. She reached over and pulled her wand out from under her pillow, pointing it at Madame Pomphrey’s office door she muttered, “Muffliato.”

“What’s that one do?” Draco asked glancing at the door.

“Muffling jinx. Kreacher!” She called a bit louder. With a snap that cut the air like a gunshot two house elves appeared. They were wrestling. Harriet sat up a bit straighter in bed. “Get off him Kreacher!” She said recognizing Dobby, Draco clearly recognized the old family house elf too for he looked wildly guilty all of a sudden. Kreacher rolled off Dobby as Peeves zoomed into the room. Before he could speak Harriet pointed her wand at him and hissed, “Langlock.” His tongue glued itself to the roof of his mouth and he zoomed out again swearing as best he could without the use of his tongue.

“Where do you get these lovely little jinxes?” Pansy asked and Harriet tossed her the Prince’s copy of Advanced Potion Making.

“Check the margins, they’re all over it.” Harriet said before turning to the elves. “Kreacher I forbid you to fight Dobby!” The older elf bowed nearly sarcastically. “You ok Dobby?” She asked and he nodded though he was still teary eyed.

“Dobby is alright Harriet Potter.” He blinked spotting Draco sitting on the edge of the bed. Draco frowned and looked down at the ground.

“I’m sorry Dobby. I should never have treated you like that.” Dobby blinked at Draco tears building in his eyes.

“Draco helped save my life Dobby.” Dobby bowed.

“Dobby always knew there was good in you!” He beamed up at Draco and Kreacher rolled his eyes muttering about blood traitors under his breath.

“You will stop insulting people Kreacher!” Harriet ordered. Kreacher nodded.

“How did Miss Harriet know Kreacher was at Hogwarts?” The house elf asked grumbling.

“Because Sirius can’t stand to have you in the house after last year, and he wants an eye kept on me after everything that’s happened.” Kreacher grumbled wordlessly letting Harriet know she was exactly correct. “I have a job for you.”


	8. Double Duel

It took two weeks for Madame Pomphrey to let Harriet out of the Hospital wing. She almost immediately headed for Dumbledore’s office with Slughorn’s memory tucked carefully in her pocket. He was in, luckily and smiled at her.

“Ah Harriet I was going to call for you for a lesson tonight. How are you feeling?” She shrugged.

“I’m alright. But Professor I got it!” Dumbledore smiled widely as she pulled the vial out of her pocket.

“Well done. We have a few more memories to go over before we watch this one but I am quite proud you accomplished this so quickly. How did you manage it?”

“I think almost dying in front of him scared him.” Dumbledore nodded slightly.

“You did scare quite a few people. Mr. Krum did not leave your side for several days if I recall correctly.” Harriet went bright pink. It was true Viktor had stayed in the Hospital Wing with her for three days at the start of her recovery. Sirius had been allowed to stay as well and had rented a room at the Three Broomsticks which served as an Inn to older customers. “But now we venture into a bit more of a mysterious time in the life of Tom Riddle.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Theodore Nott had always been ambitious. He had been raised by his father, since his mother had died in front of him when he was two. His father was a pureblood and very proud of that fact. He raised his son in the old ways, separate from Muggle society only allowing him to interact with the children of other old pureblood families.

Him being sorted into Slytherin was no surprise. He tended to keep to himself even there though. Years passed and when the summer of his fourth year came his father was often gone from the house. Away on important business. It wasn’t until after Potter’s fight at the Ministry that he was informed on what exactly his father had been doing. It was no secret to him that he had been a supporter of the Dark Lord. But with his father arrested at the Department of Mysteries he was left on his own, until Vincent Crabbe and Greggory Goyle appeared with their fathers on his doorstep. They had an opportunity for him.

He was brought to the Malfoy Manor, a bit of a surprise since Lucius Malfoy had been arrested at the Department of Mysteries and Draco had fought against the Death Eaters with Potter and her friends. He was stunned when he was brought into the presence of the Dark Lord himself. He had dropped to his knees, as his father had taught him and the Dark Lord had smiled.

“Your father has trained you well Theodore. Are you willing to serve?” The snakelike face had looked down upon him and he’d nodded, rendered speechless by the very presence of this figure his father had told him stories about. “Very good. I have a task for you and your friends.” It was only then that he noticed Crabbe and Goyle kneeling next to him. Voldemort circled the three teens like a snake.

“It is not an easy task, but perhaps you will be able to accomplish it. Are you prepared to die trying.” The three of them nodded. Voldemort smiled again. “Good. The three of you will kill Albus Dumbledore. Do what you must to achieve this but know that Harriet Potter’s life belongs to me.”

The Dark Lord was right, the task was not easy even after getting Madame Rosmerta under the Imperious curse. Katie had failed to get the necklace all the way to the castle and the poison had found the one target they’d been forbidden to touch. Though he could not touch them in the school their multiple slips had caused the Dark Lord’s anger to turn on their families. He was growing impatient and as his impatience grew so did the fear in his three young followers. Fear was a good motivator but it also tended to drive a person to do something stupid. So when Crabbe, Goyle and Nott found themselves alone in a corridor with Harriet they didn’t quite think.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  


Draco heard the blasting before he spotted what was happening. He rounded the corner and found a duel happening in the hall, he’d have called it one sided if he didn’t know she was so damn good at defense. Harriet was facing off against Crabbe, Goyle and Theodore Nott alone in the abandoned corridor. He didn’t think twice before pulling his wand and diving into the fray to help.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harriet panted as she raced back from the Room of Requirement where she’d dropped off the Prince’s book. Today was just not going her way. She’d been headed down to Hagrid’s alone after classes were over when she’d heard someone talking. They had been whispering about a cabinet, she’d been curious. But her shoe had squeaked and caught the attention of the three Slytherins. They had attacked and it had been all she could do to hold the three of them off on her own.

Draco had leapt in out of nowhere to help her, and she was glad but when Goyle fired off a Cruciartus Curse that sent Draco to the floor screaming Harriet snapped and fired a spell from the Prince’s book, Sectumsempra, at him. It had sliced him open, but they got lucky Snape had heard the fighting and come running. Snape had been quite angry at the lot of them as he’d healed Goyle. But he was more willing to listen to Malfoy than he had ever been willing to listen to Harriet. The use of an unforgivable curse inside the walls of Hogwarts got Goyle the same punishment that McLaggen had gotten for dosing Harriet with a love potion, he was sent home immediately, though not expelled, simply suspended for a few weeks. Nott and Crabbe were given several weeks worth of detention for ambushing Harriet, she and Draco were both removed from their house Quidditch teams for Dueling. It was wildly unfair and Harriet had lost the Prince’s book to the Room of Requirement, too afraid of Snape’s retribution to retrieve it.

Their friends decided it was no longer safe for any of them to be on their own now. Harriet and Draco were constantly accompanied by someone, especially when Goyle returned to the halls of Hogwarts looking haggard and thinner than before. Harriet shook her head as she talked to Sirius over the mirror he’d given her last Christmas. She hadn’t unwrapped it until after the fight at the ministry for fear that the method of communication was one Umbridge could track.

“Looks like I have to thank Malfoy again.” Sirius said with false anger in his voice. Harriet rolled her eyes at him as Draco flipped him off from behind her.

“He did save my ass again though.” Draco looked up from his essay.

“Yeah, that’s becoming a habit, being your friend is exhausting.” Harriet flipped him off.

“So what do you think about this cabinet they were talking about Sirius?” She asked and Draco perked up slightly.

“Could be a Vanishing Cabinet. They were all the rage when Voldemort was in power.” Draco shuddered at the mention of the name but Sirius kept talking. “Not sure why they would be interested in it unless there’s a pair. But they’re terribly finicky, and if they break while you’re using them you’re lucky if a limb is all you lose.” Draco frowned.

“Hogwarts had a vanishing cabinet. The Weasley twins trapped Montague in one last year when he tried to take points off them. I don’t know what happened to it though.” Harriet frowned as the bell rang and she cut off the call with Sirius heading out to class with Draco. Harriet was waylaid slightly by Lavender Brown who handed her another invitation to a lesson with Dumbledore that night. Draco frowned. He knew about the lessons, it was hard not to notice Harriet randomly vanishing into the Headmaster’s office. He had asked what they did during those lessons but Harriet wouldn’t tell him. He had a feeling that Hermione and Ron knew but the golden trio still had secrets they would not share with anyone else.


	9. Reminded

The coin burning in his pocket surprised Draco. It was late, nearly curfew but with looks and nods from Pansy and Blaise the three of them slipped out to the abandoned classroom. With the combined efforts of the six of them it had become something of a separate Common Room used regularly by members of the DA and other friends between houses. It had become known as The Common Room, most students referred to their own house common room by the house name first. The Common Room was for everyone. They barely made it inside before they were joined by the golden trio. Harriet looked to be in a rush.

“Look whatever Nott’s planning he’s managed it.” She explained about her run in with Trelawney and the laughter from the Room of Requirement. “I have to go. Take the map, and this.” She pulled a tiny sealed bottle of Felix Felicis out of her pocket. Hermione took it frowning.

“What about you?” Harriet shook her head.

“I won’t need luck tonight, I’ll be with Dumbledore. Stay safe.” That was directed at all of them in the room as she disappeared under the cloak.

They only got a few drops each between the six of them but it was enough to save them from the Death Eaters when they arrived. There were eight of them, fighting against the six sixth years and the aurors defending the castle. Draco barely dodged Bellatrix’s curses but somehow, probably the potion, he seemed to know where they were coming from before they left her wand. It wasn’t long before it became clear that something more was happening here. When Harriet came tearing down after Snape, Crabbe, Goyle and Nott, tears streaming down her face and vengeance in her eyes he knew they were too late.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Watching as Nott disarmed Dumbledore who was shaking from the after effects of the potion that had been protecting the Horcrux, unable to move under the full body bind was practically torture. She could have helped. If Dumbledore hadn’t frozen her under the cloak she didn’t understand why he’d done that. Nott’s hands were trembling as he kept his wand pointed at the headmaster. Crabbe and Goyle egged him on but Nott’s hands wouldn’t steady. He wasn’t going to be able to do it. Then Snape arrived and cast the final curse. The one that sent Dumbledore tumbling over the edge of the tower. Harriet tore after them.

As they reached the grounds she fired a spell at Nott, disarming him, sending his wand and Dumbledore’s flying out of his hands she caught them and kept going. Snape had been the Prince it stung and made a horrible kind of sense, hadn’t Blaise said the handwriting was familiar. Forced to break off the chase Harriet helped Hagrid put out the fire that had engulfed his house. Finding the locket in Dumbledore’s broken hand she slipped it into her pocket. She was escorted to the hospital wing, having gone mute, she would tell no one what had happened. She couldn’t. But once she was alone on her usual bed in the hospital wing, she opened the locket, it was not the horcrux. A fake. Left behind by R.A.B. She frowned. She knew that handwriting, oh god! She knew that handwriting! She bolted from the hospital wing before anyone could stop her, ignoring the calls for her to come back.

How many times had she passed that damn plaque on the one room in Grimmauld Place Sirius had never opened? Every time she went up to her room, it was on the landing just below hers. Right next to the room Sirius and Remus shared.

_Do Not Enter Without The Express Permission of_

_Regulus Arcturus Black_

R.A.B. He’d been a Death Eater. She banged her way into the kitchens.

“Kreacher!” He slunk over to her Dobby hot on his heels.

“Harriet Potter! Dobby is so happy to see you, we is hearing all sorts of ruckus from upstairs.” Harriet couldn’t force a smile.

“Dobby I’m sorry I don’t have time right now. If they ask you if I was here lie. Kreacher I need to go to Grimmauld Place right now!” Kreacher had caught sight of the locket in her hand though, his eyes going wide.

“Where did the Potter girl get that?” His voice was barely a whisper. She zeroed in on his reaction.

“You know what this is?” He nodded. “Then you know where the real one is.” He made no move to reply. “Kreacher I need it! I have to destroy it!” Kreacher blinked at her with something like hope in his eyes and withdrew from a hidden pocket in his Hogwarts towel a large golden locket.

“It was the last order Master Regulus ever gave Kreacher. And Kreacher failed.” Fat tears were rolling down his face now.

“No you haven’t. I’m gonna finish what he started Kreacher. I’ll want to know the whole story but not yet. I think I may have just scared everyone back there.” The adrenaline of her realization was wearing off. She was shaking, still covered in hand shaped bruises from the inferi, and soot from Hagrid’s house. Madame Pomphrey had been understandably busy with Bill. She took the locket from Kreacher and pressed the false on into his hand. He looked up at her in shock and something like respect.

“Thank you Mistress.” She nodded, slipping the locket on and tucking it under her clothes.

“Thank you Kreacher.” She raced back out of the kitchens. She was about halfway back to the Hospital Wing when she heard a voice call out to her.

“Harriet!” She turned and ran straight into Viktor’s arms, sobbing with abandon. It was all too much. The image of Dumbledore seared into her eyes, laying at the bottom of the tower like a broken puppet. The knowledge that he needn’t have gone into that cave at all. She collapsed against Viktor and he scooped her off her feet whispering something she was sure was meant to be calming but she did not calm. She was too far gone. She barely registered him carrying her back to the Hospital Wing or the crowd of worried Order members, though the noise made her burry her face into Viktor’s robes all she wanted right now was to not think. This was so much worse than when Cedric had died. He had been a friend but Albus Dumbledore had been one of the closest things she’d had to a father before Sirius. She didn’t really notice when her head was turned gently but firmly and something was trickled down her throat. Everything went grey and she slipped away from consciousness one hand clutching the locket through her robes.


	10. Decisions

When she slept she dreamed. It was like being back at the zoo, the one where she had accidently vanished the glass in the Boa Constrictor’s exhibit all those years ago. Except the exhibit was made of gold and glass instead of stone and plastic. The interior was not some false approximation of a jungle in Brazil. No instead it was a comfortable apartment, plush furniture and bookshelves crammed full. A window on the opposite wall seemed to look out on Diagon Alley, though the scene was frozen in time. But Harriet was standing outside the exhibit, in a dark hallway, nearly featureless. If it wasn’t for the sole occupant of the apartment it would have been quite a boring dream.

He was tall, taller than her by at least a head and a half, but thin and somehow less handsome than he had been last time she had seen him. He was older now than he had been. He had been about sixteen preserved in the pages of the diary, she would guess from what she knew that he was about twenty here sitting reading one of the books from the shelf. He looked up, dark eyes looking bored until he spotted her. He raised an eyebrow and slipped a bookmark into his book, setting it down on the table next to him.

“I must say this is a surprise.” His voice was far away, echoing slightly as though traveling through a tunnel instead of a sheet of glass. He did not stand, instead he leaned forward slightly eyes fixed on her, growing hungrier though he retained the rest of the façade of Tom Riddle. “It has been so long since I had someone to talk to. Not since He trapped me in that cave. Protected he claimed.” Tom Riddle scoffed, tilting his head like a curious snake. “He did not afford the diary such protection.” He frowned still watching her.

“Are you going to speak to me?” He asked an edge of amusement to his words. Harriet held her tongue. She understood what this was now, or at least she was pretty sure she understood it. This was the piece of Voldemort’s soul trapped in the locket. Like the diary it would try to take possession of the one holding it. Tom Riddle smiled.

“Clever but silent. You think so loudly little one.” She jerked backwards slightly, and he rolled his eyes leaning back in his chair. “You are familiar with Legilimency, it’s not a new concept to you little one. And you are a terrible Occlumens.” He carefully stood prowling forwards like a beast of prey. “You’re safe little one.” He tapped a knuckle on the glass an echo thundered around her, making her clap her hands to her ears. She glared, he looked amused.

“I can’t get loose unless you open the locket.” He explained as though to a child. “You are a child little one.”

“Get out of my head.”

“Ah she speaks after all.” He grinned slightly leaning on the glass that separated them. “It’s been terribly dull you know, all these years gathering dust on a shelf, listening to a house elf go mad.” He brushed a piece of nonexistent dust off his slacks. “You have no idea how dull it grows after a time.” She remained silent, focusing on clearing her mind. He laughed lowly. “Back To the silent treatment are we little one? Very well.” He stepped back over to his chair and sat back down picking up his book again. “You will find I can be quite patient little one. Can you?” He did not wait for her to answer instead flipping his book back open where he had left off and continuing to read as though nothing had happened.

She jerked awake, she was in the hospital wing. Her bruises from the Inferi were gone, healed, the sky was starting to lighten. A figure moved in the darkness and Harriet jumped reaching for her wand. She found two instead on the bedside table, one was hers the other was unfamiliar.

“You disarmed one of them.” It was Sirius sitting in the chair next to her, speaking lowly so as not to disturb Viktor in the chair next to him or Bill laid out on the bed across the room, his face bandaged. “The one who disarmed Dumbledore. You had his wand too, but it’s being place with him in his memorial as per his request.” Harriet nodded almost blankly. “Never bad to have a spare.” Sirius commented and Harriet nodded again, her hand finding the locket under the pajamas she was wearing. Madame Pomphrey must have changed her clothes. “Harriet what happened tonight?” She nodded and mechanically went through what had taken place on the top of the astronomy tower. Sirius shook his head almost disbelievingly.

“Snape did it.” There was so much conviction in her voice it almost wasn’t hoarse with tears. Sirius nodded.

“I always warned him not to trust Snivilus. But what happened before that. Where did you and Dumbledore go?” Harriet shook her head. She had already dragged too many people into the search for the Horcruxes. Ron and Hermione knew, no one else was supposed to. She would not break Dumbledore’s trust now. “Harriet you were covered in bruises. They looked like hands, you need to tell me what happened. It looked like you were attacked, viciously. Please tell me.”

“I can’t. I promised Dumbledore.” She said no more after that. No amount of pleading moved her from this point. The next few days were a blur. Classes were canceled, everything was canceled. Dumbledore’s funeral took place on the edge of the lake, near the forest. There were so many people here, she knew almost no one, though seeing the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship held a certain amount of nostalgia for her. But it was far away, almost as if she was separate from it now. She knew what she had to do, she would not be returning to Hogwarts, for her final year. But there was something else she had to do before she vanished on her quest in search of Horcruxes. He made it easy, he sought her out. She was standing alone on the edge of the lake, her right side to the lake, away from the castle and few stragglers from the funeral.

“Harriet?” Viktor’s voice was thick with the tears he’d shed for Dumbledore. Phoenix song still echoed around them. “Are you well?” She sighed slightly.

“No, I wouldn’t say that.” He gently cupped her face. She did not reach up to return the affection. He frowned.

“What can I do to help you?” She took a deep breath.

“I need you to leave. I need you to go home, back to Bulgaria.” He shook his head slightly.

“My little lion I could never leave you. Come with me, away from all of this. Please.” She shook her head just slightly and kissed him gently.

“I can’t leave Viktor, this is my fight. It’s always been my fight. But I won’t let Him use you against me.” She said it almost against his lips. Then she pulled back, her wand dropping into her right hand with a practiced motion. The incantation wasn’t one she’d used before, much less silently but it had to be done. _Imperio_. His eyes glazed. “Go home. Stay safe, Viktor.” It was all she wanted and that was enough, as his eyes cleared and her wand vanished back up her sleeve he turned away from her, walking towards the ship that would take him safely out of here, out of reach of Voldemort. It still hurt, a deep visceral pain. She had no idea if she would ever see him again. She startled slightly as a streak of red flew past her gently slapping her upside the head with a wing. Fawkes the Phoenix landed on Viktor’s shoulder and refused to be moved as Viktor boarded the ship.

Harriet scrubbed her face as the ship vanished under the waves. She didn’t even realize she’d been crying. Ron and Hermione approached.

“Everyone’s loading up in the carriages.” Hermione said looking over Harriet’s shoulder for Viktor. Her expression went pained, then understanding when he wasn’t there. Ron though was not so quick on the uptake.

“What happened to Viktor?” He asked and Hermione stepped on his foot.

“He’s gone Ron, somewhere he’ll be safe.” Hermione wrapped Harriet in a hug and it was hard, resisting the urge to break again but she didn’t have time for that now. Right now she had a mission and she was going to see it through to the end no matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> Just to be safe I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I condone the 'authors' views. 
> 
> This is a sequel to The Thing About Seekers, set in my Soulmate AU.
> 
> There will be a sequel to this!


End file.
